Tornados to the West

We have been keeping a wary eye on the weather coming across the country.  We are sorry to hear of still more tornado deaths in the midwest yesterday.  As we were traveling I-75 south of Atlanta, we came across an area where a tornado had crossed the highway in the past few weeks.  Trees were mowed down like a giant brush hog went through.  It cut a perfect path about a half mile wide.  I would have hated to be there when it crossed that busy highway.  I can only imagine the scene.

There are tornado warnings west of us tonight.  If we move on north tomorrow we will be in the path of those storms.  We have a reservation at Bandy Creek Recreation Area in Tennessee for the weekend.  We may stay put where we are tonight if the weather looks challenging.

We are at Red Mountain Top State Park just north of Atlanta.  It is a beautiful park set alongside of Altatoona Lake.  The sites are very far apart and overlook the lake.  They are shaded by tall trees of all kinds.  Large boulders litter the slopes, some as large as cars.   It is a very peaceful place. 

Buddy is a very good traveler but we think she feels quite confined.  At home she has many places to go hide and snooze.  Here she is pretty much under our feet all the time.  She looks forward to every opportunity to get outside.  She is an inside dog but I think the confinement is having an affect.   (Have you ever wondered if it should be affect or effect?  The dictionary isn't much help.  It seems to be a fine line but I think I have it figured out.  I think an affect is the result of an effect.  Maybe an English major out there can explain it to us.)

We stop at rest areas to give her a chance to do her business and sniff what others have left behind.  I often wonder if there are some kind of coded messages in each turd left for the enjoyment of those who happen by.  There must be some very compelling element to it.  It is all we can do to drag her away from a deposit.

Darlie fixed a very delicious taco salad for dinner.  We have been eating light since leaving home.  I am feeling withdrawal from ice cream as I write this.  She says we have to cut back on sugar.  Why is it guys always have a Mom?  We never get to grow up and do what we want.  We have Mom telling us what is good for us.  I guess that is another of life’s mysteries.

The sun is setting.  We both are yawning.  I can tell it won’t be long before we are in the sack.  Why does being outside make you so dang tired?  At home I am up to midnight or beyond and I am still not tired.  Maybe it is because there are no distractions other than a calling crow or a squirrel skipping across tree limbs.

The smell of wood smoke, lake water and leaf mold passes by on a light breeze.  My eyelids are getting heavy..........ZZZZZ